A temporary elementary school campus at Pulelehua will open April 1 to replace King Kamehameha III Elementary School, which was damaged in the Aug. 8 Lahaina wildfire.
Teachers and staff moved into the school on Monday, according to a news release.
“It is a small miracle that in just 95 days, a school has been created. We need some small miracles here after the fire that we suffered,” Gov. Josh Green said in the release.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers designed the $78 million school at Pulelehua, a development below Kapalua Airport, with funds from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. USACE sub-contracted Pono Aina Management, awarding the Native Hawaiian organization with $53.7 million to construct the campus.
Since the Lahaina wildfire, former King Kamehameha III Elementary School students have transitioned multiple times to different learning scenarios. First, they enrolled in online education, then they went to learning hubs in community spaces, and last October they attended in-person school in tent structures on the Princess Nahienaena Elementary Campus.
“This year has been full of challenges on many levels with lots of layers of emotions,” Ian Haskins, principal of King Kamehameha III Elementary, said. “Through the three previous transitions, we have persevered by working together. This has been an unprecedented year and together we can create the best environment for our students, teachers, and the whole community.”
The campus at Pulelehua includes 30 air-conditioned modular classrooms, an administration building, library, student support center, cafeteria and play areas. Teachers and staff will use classrooms for art instruction, computer labs, special education, and Kaiapuni Hawaiian language immersion education. The Hawaii Department of Education expects 350 students to attend the school, adding the campus could accommodate 600 students.
“I look forward to Principal Haskins and our students and staff being able to fill this space with aloha and a love for learning for many years to come,” said Superintendent Keith Hayashi, during an opening ceremony on Monday.
Cultural practitioner Kaniala Masoe led the ceremony with a pu and oli. Two dozen King Kamehameha III teachers held hands in a circle and sang a mele. Also in attendance was U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono and U.S. Rep. Jill Tokuda, Board of Education Chairperson Warren Haruki, state Rep. Justin Woodson, who represents Central Maui and is also chairperson of the House Committee on Education. Plus, California U.S. Rep. Doug LaMalfa, whose district includes Paradise, where the 2018 Camp Fire took place, was a guest of Tokuda.
HiDOE expects to use the temporary school campus for up to five years, while crafting plans for a permanent replacement school with the Lahaina community.
The destroyed King Kamehameha III Elementary School campus sat along Lahaina’s Front Street. Some items from the campus were salvaged, including a 6,000-pound bonze bust of King Kamehameha III and a green-and-white cattle gate featuring the school’s nickname. These items are now part of the new campus at Pulelehua.
Michelle Broder Van Dyke covers the Hawaiian Islands for Spectrum News Hawaii. Email her at michelle.brodervandyke@charter.com.
